"There! All done!"
Wild Heart and Silver Sword stared proudly up at their small house. It wasn't much—just a first floor with a couple of torches and a second floor with two beds. They hadn't even got glass windows yet, but it would keep out the monsters for now.
"Alright," Said Silver, "Tomorrow, diamond hunting!"
Wild gripped her wood pickaxe in her jaws resolutely.
"Yeah!" We—AAAUGH!"
She screamed as an arrow thudded into the ground right next to her.
"GET INSIDE! GET INSIDE!" She yelled, barreling into Silver and sending them both cannoning into the small house, slamming the door behind them. Silver shook her blond mane, glowering out the small window at the skeleton pony that lost interest in them and resumed its aimless wandering, a bow and several arrows gripped in its jaws.
Silver sat down on the dirt floor, her wing feathers ruffling indignantly.
"Those stupid skellingtons!" She ranted, as she climbed the ladder to the second floor.
"Well, just be glad it wasn't a zombie," Said Wild. "OR, even worse—'Creeper from behind in 321BOOM.'" She teased.
The two alicorn sisters fell into bed and passed out instantly.
The next morning found the two deep in a cave, near their house. Wild had marked the spot with a totem pole of birch wood with a torch on top. So far, they had found coal, some iron, and a bit of lapis lazuli, but no diamond. Oh, and lots of monsters. Silver cannoned into a zombie pony, her sword flashing. She sliced open the zombie's flank, and the creature crumbled to dust with a hiss. Silver picked up a slimy piece of flesh gingerly, and tossed it into her bag.
"Yuck," She said, shuddering. Wild's pickaxe bit into a lump of coal, breaking off several chunks, which the alicorn stuffed into her bag.
"Dude, why are you still wearing that stupid pumpkin?" Demanded Silver. "You can hardly see out of it!"
"It's fun!" Wild retorted. She was wearing a pumpkin on her head, with holes in the front to see out of. Her horn poked a hole in the top of the pumpkin. She looked totally ridiculous, but she didn't care.
"Aw mane, my bag's full!" Complained Silver, stuffing a last piece of stone into the heavy sack.
"Dude, no worries. Just head back to the house, dump all your junk in a chest, and get your flank back here!" Said Wild Heart, her voice muffled slightly by the pumpkin.
"You sure you're going to be alright?" Fretted Silver Sword.
"Do I look like a monster might beat me up?" Asked Wild.
Silver sighed. "Fine."
She headed back to the waterfall at the entrance of the cave, and swam up, vanishing over the cliff edge at the top. Wild turned back to her vein of coal. As she hacked away, she suddenly broke through into a larger cave. Its walls were composed of dirt and stone, with no visible exits. On the ground in the middle of the room lay a strange creature. It looked like a pony, only its long, bony legs were twice as tall as Wild. Its fur was jet-black, with no visible Cutie Mark. Its eyes were closed, and its lip was curled back slightly, revealing pointed teeth that gleamed pure white. Wild approached it carefully, stowing her pick in her bag. She prodded a lean shoulder gently.
"H-hello?" She said quietly.
The thing's eyes snapped open. Wild bugled in shock, stumbling backwards several paces. The thing's eyes were purple, the color of fermented spider-eye. They had pure-white pupils that seemed to glow. Wild collapsed in terror. She put her hooves over her head, and lay on the floor, shivering as the thing rose. It towered over the mare, and glided in a slow circle around her, wondering what this strange pony was doing in its territory, its obsidian-colored hooves making no sound on the stone floor. It bent its head to within inches of Wild's ear, sniffing her. Then, it vanished in a puff of purple smoke.
The next day, Wild was still wondering about the strange creature. She mined in a forest of dark oak trees near the house, avoiding zombies and finding lots of iron. Silver had dedicated her time to expanding the house, and finding livestock to breed. Wild was still wearing her pumpkin as she explored a particularly large cave. Suddenly, she heard a sound—like wind whistling through cliffs. Vwoom.
Wild froze. She turned, scanning her surroundings for monsters, but the cave was deserted. Then she heard the sounds.
Ho hu! Ayih! Tuo hctaw!
Wild's gaze fixed on a spot in the shadows. Smoke billowed faintly from the darkness, and two glowing purple eyes gleamed, the color of spider-eye. Wild brought out her sword, then though better of it and pulled an apple out of her pack.
"Um, hello?" She said quietly. The thing vanished in a puff of smoke. Wild frowned, thinking it had gone. Then she took a step back, and nearly hit the ceiling. Her flanks had brushed something that hadn't been there a moment before. She turned slowly, and saw bony hooves, and gangly legs. Craning her neck, she cautiously raised her eyes, but she couldn't make herself look higher than the obsidian-colored jaw, with gleaming, pointed teeth bared in a gruesome grin. She took a cautious step back. The thing took a step forward. Wild continued backing up, and the thing followed her. Finally, the mare's hindquarters bumped into the wall of the cave. A sharp rock jabbed into her flank, but she was too busy being terrified to notice much. The pumpkin obscured vision at the corners of her eyes, and she feared that taking her eyes off the thing that was looming over her to look for an exit might enrage it. She cautiously held out the apple in a shaking hoof.
"…Want it?" She asked in a small voice. The thing cocked its head, as though not used to being offered things. It took the apple in an emaciated hoof. Wild watched nervously as the fruit vanished in two bites. Then Wild had its undivided attention once again. Then, the strange noises began again.
Ayih!
Wild Heart tried unsuccessfully to scrooge back farther against the wall.
"Um..hi?"
The thing shifted slightly, but made no other movement.
M'i Enamredne! Ohw era uoy?
Came the strange noises. Wild got the feeling it was trying to tell her something, but it still sounded like nonsense.
Tssssss…
The alicorn froze. Behind the strange thing, a scaly, green compact creature was advancing towards her, its features frozen in a permanent scowl.
"Uh, whoever you are, there's a Creeper behind you!" Wild yelped. The black thing whirled, just as the Creeper began to swell and crackle. The creature stood on its back hooves, and advanced on the thing, hunched forward and swaying slightly. Just as the Creeper was about to demolish the thing, Wild, and everything else within fifty meters, the black pony swung one of its back hooves in a sweeping upward motion so fast, that it was just a blur. There was a sickening crack, and the Creeper toppled over, its skull smashed. The thing stooped and retrieved something from the remains of the monster, now crumbling to dust. While this had been going on, Wild Heart had been edging along the outside of the cave towards the nearest passageway. Then the thing vanished, and Wild's flank hit something that hadn't been there before. Silently seething, she turned to the thing. It held out two small bags of powder.
Srepeec era naem! It said. Siht si rof uoy!
Wild cautiously took the bags, and stuffed them in her pack.
"Um, thanks. Now, I think I should be getting back to the house, so if you could maybe help me out of this cave—"
Uoy deen pleh? Ykao! Dloh no thgit!
The alicorn yelped as the thing wrapped a bony leg around her neck, and the world turned upside-down in a swirl of black fur and purple smoke.
The next thing she knew, she was standing on a grassy hill overlooking a river. Birch forest stretched off in front of her, and behind her was plains. The alicorn turned in a circle, squinting in the light of the setting sun.
"Um, thanks, but where are—"
She suddenly noticed a small house in a dip to the south.
"Well I'll be darned," Said the alicorn. "That's our house!"
Wild hastily checked the hub to see if Silver Sword had done any activity, but it was empty. There was not much talking, as Silver and Wild preferred the solitude of an unpopular multiplayer. The alicorn trotted towards the house, the black thing trailing after her, though it was distracted every few feet by flowers, a chicken wandering about, or the grass. Reaching the house, Wild poked her head in the door.
"SILVER! I'M BACK!" She shouted. The gray-furred alicorn's head appeared from the second floor.
"Shout it a little louder, why don't you?" She grumbled. "I don't think they heard you on the Vox Populi server."
"Look who I met in the cave," Wild said, gesturing to the black pony, who was picking the petals off a dandelion. Silver took one look at the pony, and shot back up into the bedroom, whinnying.
"Wild, that's an Endermane! Are you nuts bringing it here?! If I look at its eyes, it'll kill me! You're safe because you're wearing that pumpkin, but if you ever take it off—"
Wild ignored her sister's ranting. She took off the pumpkin, and approached the Endermane. It noticed her, and stood, looking at her. It grinned crookedly, and Wild shivered as it showed its razor-sharp teeth.
Uoy evah a ecin enam, It said.
"Um, alright," Said Wild, careful not to look above its knobby knees. Then she decided to take the plunge. The spawn wasn't far, and she could always make it back. She slowly raised her gaze, seeing the skinny chest, dark neck, and strong jaw. Finally, she went higher, and gasped.
The thing's left eye was normal, deep purple with a glowing pupil, but its right eye was milky white. Sightless.
"Y-you're blind in that eye!" Wild guessed. The thing tilted its head.
Yllaer? I thguoht lla fo su erew ekil siht!
Wild called back into the house. "Silver, it's alright. The Endermane is blind in one eye, so for some reason it's not attacking me."
Wild brought the creature inside, and hastily made a bed out of some soft wool and carpet.
"Um, if you're going to stay with us, you'll need a bed. We can make one tomorrow, but I'm afraid this'll have to do for now."
The Endermane, which had to crawl to get in the doorway, scooted over to the pile of cloth, folded its long legs underneath itself, and collapsed. In two seconds, it was snoring quietly. Wild went upstairs, and fell asleep, exhausted from the day's exploring.
In the darkness, none of them noticed the message that appeared on the hub.
H[Error]e[Error]br[Error]i[Error] joined the server.